How to Be a Star at Work summary

The second most important tool for workplace success? Knowing who to call. 

Bill Backer, creator of Coca-Cola’s famous “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” campaign, turned his initial idea into a global phenomenon through a carefully cultivated network of specialists.

The third key to career success is as simple as it is hard to master: self-management. In order to get ahead at work, you need to stop waiting for your boss to manage you, and start learning to manage yourself.

Jerry Meyer, CEO of Pinnacle Brands, saved his sports trading card company during a crisis by challenging employees to take responsibility for their own productivity rather than laying off workers.

Have you ever wondered why some brilliant engineers create products that nobody wants to use? Or why talented researchers spend years on projects that lead nowhere? 

In addition to their technical skills, star performers understand the importance of being able to switch perspectives. They understand that mastering their craft is only the beginning. What separates them from average workers is their ability to step outside their own bubble and see their work from multiple angles. 

Think being a follower means being weak or passive? Think again. Research reveals that 90 percent of workers spend 90 percent of their time following other people’s lead. Such followers also contribute about 90 percent to organizational success. The real question isn’t whether you’ll be a follower, but what kind of follower you’ll choose to be.

Most people dismiss followership as something to endure until they become leaders. But star performers understand an important truth: exceptional followership is a strategic skill that can accelerate your career and increase your impact.

Have you ever worked with someone who didn’t have a fancy title but somehow made everything run smoother? If so, you’ve witnessed “small-l leadership” – and it might be the most important leadership skill you never learned.

Most of us are sold on the myth of big-L leadership: the charismatic CEO commanding from the corner office. But research on star performers reveals that this Hollywood version often fails in today’s knowledge-based workplace. Instead, the most productive workers practice a quieter, more collaborative approach.

If you’re drowning in team meetings that seem to accomplish nothing, you’re not alone. Despite the corporate obsession with teamwork, most workplace teams are proven productivity killers.

The problem is that companies pursue teamwork as a goal in itself. They throw people into teams without teaching collaboration skills and force group projects as band-aids for poor management decisions. The result? Endless meetings that drain energy while real work suffers.

How often have you watched a brilliant colleague get passed over for promotion while a seemingly less capable coworker advances? Take Seth, for example. An MIT PhD in computer science, he hit a career ceiling despite excellent technical skills. He simply struggled to win support for his ideas and had conflicts with other departments.

Promotions are hardly ever about talent. Rather, they reflect a person’s ability to navigate workplace dynamics and understand unwritten rules that determine who really gets ahead.

Despite creating breakthrough technologies like VoiceMail, Luis, a brilliant software engineer at Bellcore, had presentation anxiety. This severely limited his organizational impact – even though his technical skills were extraordinary.

Unfortunately, the truth is that technical excellence alone doesn’t guarantee career advancement. The ability to communicate ideas persuasively serves as the critical skill that can elevate or constrain your professional reputation.